Insomniac City

New York, Oliver, and Me

By: Bill Hayes

Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies

Bill Hayes came to New York City in 2009 with a one-way ticket and only the vaguest idea of how he would get by. But, at 48 years old, having spent decades in San Francisco, he craved change.

Grieving over the death of his partner, he quickly discovered the profound consolations of the city's incessant rhythms, the sight of the Empire State Building against the night sky, and New Yorkers themselves, kindred souls that Hayes, a lifelong insomniac, encountered on late-night strolls with his camera.

And he unexpectedly fell in love again, with his friend and neighbor, the writer and neurologist Oliver Sacks, whose exuberance - 'I don't so much fear death as I do wasting life,' he tells Hayes early on - is captured in funny and touching vignettes throughout. What emerges is a portrait of Sacks at his most personal and endearing, from falling in love for the first time at age 75 to facing illness and death (Sacks died of cancer in August 2015).

Insomniac City is both a meditation on grief and a celebration of life, a love song to the New York City and to all who have felt the particular magic and solace it offers.

©2017 Bloomsbury US (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

Touching and Intimate Portrait

Such a touching and intimate portrait of the relationship between Bill Hayes and Oliver Sacks, with an ode to NYC as a bonus! Oliver was every bit as adorable as I would have imagined him to be, and then some. I would like to thank Bill Hayes for sharing this with the rest of us, who loved and admired "The Doctor" from afar.

The Story of Relationship

I read part of this book after reading “Life, Interrupted” by/about Spaulding Gray. Oliver Sacks saw Mr. Gray near the end of his life (Mr. Gray suffering from a head injury that led to Mr. Gray disappearing in Jan. 2013 and Mr. Sacks disappearing in 2015.

This book is a wonderful story of Mr. Sacks and Mr. Hayes meeting and getting to know each other, growing together with time. It is also a story about Mr. Hayes’ relationships with New York City and the people he meets and shares with parts of himself. It is sad Mr. Sacks leaving the story, but happens quite simply.

Addicting

I grew up in New York City, Lower East Side primarily, but also Greenwich Village and Staten Island. Insomuch as I have been transient most of my post college graduate years, I no longer call the Big Apple or any patch of land my home. Though the City author Bill Hayes describes is no longer the same one in which I spent my formative, prepubescent, young adult years, it is undoubtedly the place I currently frequent and readily recognize— right down to the shoutout to Russ and Daughters Deli on Orchard Street. Hoyt captures in equal measure a definite sense of place (NYC, but also any locale that one holds dear), time (the present now, more or less), and mood (joy, grief, and a complete array of experiences in-between), making the book relevant and relatable and entertaining. The work is as much an ode to the ever mutating and always addicting Manhattan as it is an expression of gratitude for the imperceptible spark of life that, out of nowhere it seems, sparks to full fire and gives us a boost just as we are about to give up— or already have given up.

I liked the way Hoyt was able to connect with nearly every walk of life padding across Manhattan's terrain. I'm sure my NY bred cynism is coloring the feel that perhaps some more "realistic" experiences were either figuratively "photoshopped" or otherwise eliminated. Thus the drop in points. Maybe I would have felt different if I had grown up familiar with the inimitable personality of neurologist Oliver Sacks. Instead, I was inundated with Archie Bunker pop culture (I hope to goodness I am not dating myself!). Despite my spiky take on Hoyt's what... syrupy??... take, I’ll likely be reading this again.

Narrator Stephen Bel Davies left no lines between himself and Hoyt (sans the saccharine).

4.5

4.5 stars. Great writing.
Great perspective piece. Beautiful and sad. I hope Billy finds peace.

Interesting

A friend recommended. This is an interesting book. It’s a very personal story. I enjoyed hearing about nyc and his journey

Amazing Read

Would you consider the audio edition of Insomniac City to be better than the print version?

Love the narration and really fun to listen to while driving!

What other book might you compare Insomniac City to and why?

Similar to Oliver Sacks books in that you learn something while also listening to art like writing.

What does Stephen Bel Davies bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice is perfect for this book!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

WOW this is gonna be good!

Any additional comments?

Thank you!

Magnificent

A touching memoir.. beautifully written and read. This one will stay with me for a long time.

Highly recommended!

Rather than a long review, I'm going to say that the author completely succeeds in a story with Oliver and NYC as co-protagonists, where often one aspect ends up feeling grafted into the other.

Required Reading for Any Sacks Fan

If you're a fan of Olivar Sacks, then you'll enjoy this book. Hayes provides a perspective of the man that only he could have known. It's wistful and dreamy, but not without intention. Expect to find all the humor and beauty you would from anything Sacks touched. But expect more.

moving, funny, perceptive

there's a lot to this story to make it come alive. whether or not you are already familiar with Oliver Sacks' work, this is a richly rewarding book that will help to restore your faith in life and the kindness of strangers